Hunting For Freedom, Book Two: Deserter: New Life
by Dejah
Summary: Riddick, Ven, and Brand are gone. Rain finds someone else to give her humanity. Book Two of the Hunting for Freedom Trilogy. Complete. Please review, your feedback is appreciated.
1. Savior

****

1. Savior

"Rain. Ranger number 1081983-DLS, you are under arrest by order of The Company. You need to give up your weapons and come with me," James stated, trying to sound confident in the face of this woman who hadn't looked half so dangerous in her picture. Her green eyes blazed defiantly at him and she looked ready to spring. He felt a strange fear enter his mind and strange images flashed behind his eyes.

"I don't think so, pal. The three of us are going to board that ship, and we're going to kill you first. We all owe you a little something from the last time we met. Don't we, guys?" Rain finished, addressing Brand and Ven Wolf.

Brand bared his teeth at James and edged a bit closer. He was as tall as James and in a lot better shape, despite his youth.

"Rain! Hey, wait up! I need to ask you something!" It was Sam, and with him came distraction. In the next few seconds, everything exploded.

James dove forward, tackling Brand who had turned slightly towards Sam. His gun flew from his hand and he fell hard beneath James' much heavier weight.

"Brand!" Ven screamed his name, diving towards the two men locked in a killer's embrace on the dirt.

Rain turned on Sam. "Get the hell out of here, Sam!"

Sam hesitated, staring at the scene unfolding before him. "What's going on here?" he demanded.

"I said LEAVE! Now beat it!" Rain didn't wait to see if he followed her directions and turned to the three people twisting on the ground. 

------

Sam watched in stunned silence as Rain turned into a lethal ball of energy. The boy, Brand, was fending off a man much heavier and older than him with amazing finesse. Sam had never seen a kid handle himself like that before. Rain dived into the melee just as Brand scrambled out, leaving his sister fighting James from when she'd jumped in. 

Rain was grabbing a handful of the man's hair in her fist and pulling his head back. Ven slashed with her blade at his face but missed when he slammed a vicious fist into her face. Ven cried out and Rain fell off the man's back to the ground.

More rolling ensued and then Rain was pinned on her stomach beneath the man and Ven, but Brand rushed over and grabbed her arm, tugging her out, then they both turned on Ven and the man. There was a sudden scream and then Ven went limp beneath the man, but Sam couldn't see any blood and there wasn't a gunshot. 

Brand cried out his sister's name and rushed forward towards her but the man tackled him. Sam watched as unbelievable rage flashed in Rain's face and she dived in. Then there was a gunshot, and Rain was laying on the ground, holding her stomach with one hand. The bullet must have passed all the way through because Sam could see blood pooling beneath her to dye the dirt crimson.

When Brand dived at James, James turned and slammed the pistol butt into the boy's head, dropping him to the ground.

Sam saw Rain's mouth move but couldn't hear what she said as the man stepped away from her. Sam recognized the clothes and haircut as Ranger and understood. The Company had finally caught up with Rain. And now she was dying. There was too much blood on the ground. Sam took a step closer, but no one had noticed him yet, least of all the Ranger. 

There was a choked sound that sounded akin to a laugh and blood spurted from Rain's lips before the Ranger grabbed a handful of her hair and began to drag her towards his ship. Tears were glistening wetly on her cheeks and her mouth moved again, getting her a vicious shake that brought a rough cry from her lips, and more blood.

Suddenly, Sam couldn't take any more. Whatever The Company said Rain had done, she didn't deserve this. To be dragged off, half dead if not dead already, to some Company butt lick's ship. Sam had seen the good in her, the way she warmed to Brand. 

His fingers tightened convulsively around the revolver Rain had left behind on accident, in the examining room where he'd patched up her back. Half the reason he'd come out here.

Sam stepped forward, clasping the black weapon in his hand and leveled it at the Ranger. "Stop right there, pal," he ground out from beneath his clenched teeth.

The Ranger stopped and turned, still grasping a handful of Rain's hair in his fist. His eyes widened slightly as he found himself staring at the business end of a forty-five millimeter, cocked and loaded. He dropped Rain's limp head to the dirt and she spurted more blood from her pale lips.

A tinge of panic edged in on Sam as he saw the trail of blood Rain's wound had left in the dirt. She was still sputtering though, that meant she wasn't dead... yet. Her skin was deathly white, a stark contrast to her black hair and clothes. "Step away from her," he ordered the Ranger. The man stepped away, sneering contemptuously as Sam.

Sam crept forward and checked Rain's pulse. Faint, very faint, but there. It thumped erratically beneath his fingertips and he knew she didn't have long before she slipped away. Sam knew Rain might be too far gone to save already. He wrapped an arm around her chest and beneath her shoulder and pulled her upright, holding her limp form against his chest. Moving swiftly so as not to drop her, he slid down her body, wrapped the same arm around her the back of her knees and pulled her over his shoulder. He could feel the blood seeping through the shoulder of his shirt from the hole in her stomach and backed away from the man, who looked ready to spring.

Knowing the man would haul Ven and Brand on board his ship before Sam could come back to save them, too, he conceded that they were lost. Triage, he decided. Doctors did it in the field all the time. This was field enough for Sam and he back peddled to the hospital, not turning his back on the Ranger until he slipped in the door.

As he ran down the halls to the nearest bank of mend chambers, Sam heard the powering up of engines and knew the Ranger had taken off, taking Ven and Brand with him, and Sam wondered who his real prey had been. The sister-brother duo, or Rain. He didn't have time to think, though, and rushed her to a mend chamber, praying that there was enough time. He set it on its highest setting and punched in the settings for a serious injury with likely internal injuries before slamming his palm into the start button.

Sam sighed as the tube descended over Rain's still form and collapsed into a chair. He didn't understand the compunction to save Rain and he didn't question it, leaving the self-exploring sequence for later. Later was always good, so he sat there and slept, praying for the best and not knowing why.


	2. Regret

****

2. Regret

**__**

Eleven Years Earlier

"Get outta my way."

Rain twisted her neck to see who was behind her. Clark Dran, her mom's newest boyfriend. Rain sneered at him. "Fuck off, asshole."

Stars flashed in front of her eyes as Clark slammed his fist into her cheek, just below her left eye, feelings of hate and satisfaction flowing off him. Rain toppled to the floor to land on her knees and shook the dizziness out of her head. Although she was easy to pass now that she was down, Clark stood over her, gloating. Rain shook her head again and shoved herself up to her feet to stare at him. Her face throbbed and she knew a black eye would follow this encounter, if not anything worse. Rage clouded Clark's features and Rain wondered if getting up had been a mistake. This time the blow was a backfist and it connected with Rain's temple, causing her to drop unconscious to the ground. Clark kicked her in the ribs with his steel toed boot before passing, leaving her on the den carpet.

When Rain woke up she was still on the carpet and all the lights were out. It had been late when she'd had her run in with Clark already, so she figured it was somewhere around five in the morning now. She shoved her hair from her face and stood upright, slowly. Her head spun dizzily and she dropped back to her knees to crawl to the sofa.

Rain sat on the sofa for forty-five minutes before she felt she could stand without collapsing, and then she made her way to the bathroom. Staring at her reflection told her what she already knew. Her left eye was almost swollen completely shut and from the strike to the temple there was an almost black bruise decorating the right side of her face. Another wave of dizziness reduced her to clutching desperately at the bathroom counter to stay upright, but it passed quickly and she stumbled half-hazardly into the kitchen, finding a bottle of aspirin on the counter. Aspirin was a staple in her household, where Mommy Dearest and Boyfriend Clark woke up with hangovers almost every morning.

A bottle of whiskey sat on the counter next to the aspirin and Rain popped three then washed it down with a swig of the throat burning whiskey. She grimaced as it burned a path to her stomach then wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve. She'd once heard somewhere that chasing aspirin with liquor could kill you. Rain took another swig then headed for her room.

She flicked on the light and walked over to her makeshift desk. There it sat. Two weeks of searching for the right material for it, then another two weeks of shaping it, balancing it, testing it. All that preceded by fifteen years of waiting for it to end, for getting the resolve and courage to end it herself. Rain reached out and grabbed her shiv, her pride, her answer. The dizziness was gone, her stomach warmed by the whiskey and her determination to end it was in full force, doubled by her encounter with Clark and his fist earlier.

Curses and irritation flooded her senses as she kicked open her mom's bedroom door and flipped on the lights. Knowing that she could take her mom out easy, Rain leapt at Clark first, shiv ready for the kill. He was just swinging his legs over the edge of the bed when she stepped in front of him.

His lips curled in disgust and just as he was lifting his hand to strike her, Rain lashed out. A howl of rage pulled from her throat and she felt her sanity slipping as blood sprayed from Clark's torn throat. The shiv was extremely sharp and sliced across it easy and deep. It spattered across her face and throat and now her mom was screaming.

"Shut up, Kay," Rain ordered her screaming mother. She never called her Mom or anything to that accord. She used her mom's first name; her mom had never been motherly to her anyway.

With a calm coolness, Rain circled the bed and grabbed a handful of Kay's hair, pulling her head back to expose her throat. Kay pleaded with her daughter, who's eyes showed a crazed determination. Rain pulled her lips back from her teeth and raked Kay's throat with the blade and then dropped her head to the bed. 

Then she left, grabbing a bag stuffed with one extra change of clothes and some travel food she'd bought before. Jerky, bottled water, canned beans. A few other necessities and Rain was gone, leaving her mother and her old life behind to find her own way.

------

**__**

Back To Present

Sam awakened four hours later, stiff from sleeping upright in a vinyl covered chair. He popped his neck and back deftly then stood to examine Rain. The monitor said she was still alive and that her pulse and respiration had gotten stronger and more regular. He breathed a sigh of relief. 

Despite her pale skin and the frightening stillness, Sam was sure Rain would live now. The timer said she'd be out in another two hours and that meant Sam could sleep another hour then eat and shower before Rain was capable of doing the same.

Two hours later, feeling little better despite being clean and fed, Sam entered the room where Rain was under glass, so to speak. When he stepped up to her mend chamber Rain's eyes fluttered open and she eyed him calmly.

The glass distorted Sam's features to Rain, but she knew it was him. She'd been in a similar situation not so long ago, on a space ship with another man. This one intrigued her as well.

Sam waved at Rain through the glass and she felt her lips twitch in mild response. She watched him move to the control board and punch in a few commands and then the glass slid away from her. She didn't attempt to move. Rain had never allowed herself to be put in one of these things, no matter what. She didn't trust them, but it seems this one had saved her life. Rain had been sure her life was over when the lights had gone out.

Maybe this was the real second chance she'd wanted. Not the one she'd made for herself back when she'd taken out Kay and Clark. But this, a near death experience, and waking up to a kind face.

"Can you sit up?" Sam asked her cautiously.

Rain closed her eyes for a moment then opened them again. Sam cloaked his feelings as well. One of those people that didn't open themselves up easily. "I don't know," she managed. Her throat felt closed and her stomach and back were still sore.

"C'mon, I'll give you a hand," he answered and slid a hand behind her shoulder and beneath her knees then lifted her against his chest. Rain wrapped an arm around his neck and laid against his broad chest. It felt good to be taken care of. 

Sam carried her down a hallway, then another. The complex was bigger than Rain had though, but they finally arrived at a door that Sam opened with a pass card. He had to lower her to the ground to do it, and Rain leaned against his side weakly as he slid the key through the lock and the door clicked. He scooped her back up and carried her inside.

The room wasn't furnished like the rest of the hospital. It was a suite of rooms. Rain lifted her head curiously and looked around. "Is this where you live?" she asked.

"No. This is one of the rooms rich patrons of the hospital get to stay. But since I think you're sexy, you can stay here instead of in one of the regular patient rooms."

Rain eyed him incredulously and found him grinning down at her. He'd been teasing her. She couldn't remember ever being teased before. Not playfully, like this. She smiled back and he carried her to a room with a bed. 

Sam laid her on the bedspread carefully and sat next to her. There's a bathroom through there," he pointed to a door slightly ajar, "and if you want anything to eat, just ask. It's going to take a while before you're back up to par. The mend chamber isn't really for serious injuries like that unless it's a serious emergency. I thought it was, so I tossed you in. Looks like it worked.

"You can take another sleep in there tomorrow if you're still sore. Right now you need food and rest."

Rain forced her sluggish body upright and looked Sam in the eye. "I've been sleeping for hours. How long was I out?"

Sam shrugged. "Six hours or so. I thought you weren't going to make it. You lost a lot of blood."

Rain nodded. "Yeah, I figured. What happened? Why didn't the Ranger drag me off?"

"I didn't leave when you told me to. I came out to give you your gun back when that guy showed up. When you got shot he was dragging you away and I made him let you go and brought you back here." He eyed her curiously. "I still don't know why I did it."

Rain squeezed her eyes shut, but when she opened them they were full of pain. "Why the hell did you bother with me? You should of saved Brand and Ven. They were looking for their sister, they would have lived! I'm not worth anything!"

Sam was startled. "You'd sacrifice yourself for them? I saved your life, and you'd give it up to have me have saved them instead?"

"Damn it, yes! Brand's a kid. Now they'll rot in prison."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because they're two of the Wolfs. There was Drake and Reese Wolf first and they had three kids. When The Company went after them, Gince, Ven, and Brand Wolf disappeared and didn't resurface for years. Then Gin Wolf came out again, and took out a large number of Rangers. When she got locked up her little brother and sister took over the family legacy. 

"That family alone has killed close to one hundred Rangers and other Company operatives. Maybe more."

"Christ, I had no idea who they were. That would explain the tattoo on Ven's shoulder. The wolf." Sam shook his head. "You said they had a sister. What happened to her?"

"She got thrown in Ursa Luna for life. Slam City is unforgiving, but she escaped somehow. Last I heard of her, her ship had crashed and she'd died when it burned up on some backwater planet. I have to go after them!" Rain rolled off the bed and tried to stagger out of the room but her knees buckled and she fell to the floor.

Sam leapt over and lifted her again. She was sobbing. "You don't understand! They cared about me. Don't you get it? No one's ever cared about me, I'm not going to let them down! Lemme go!"

Rain fought Sam with all she had left in her and he sat back on the bed, holding her on his lap against his chest, his arms locked around her slim frame. She finally couldn't fight anymore and collapsed against him, sobbing silently. "Why didn't you save them? I'm not worth it. I'm not worth anything... Why didn't you save them?"

She murmured those words over and over again until she finally fell asleep against his chest and Sam held her close to him. He didn't know why'd he'd saved her. He just had. Something had told him to do it, that she would be worth it.

She was already worth something to him.


	3. Insanity Threatens

****

3. Insanity Threatens

Sam twitched and flicked open a weary eyelid. Sun beat on his face and he groaned and rolled his head away from it. He was brought short when he found his face only an inch away from another. Rain's dark lashes laid against her cheeks like tiny black fans and her riotous curls fell over his chest and around her face. Sam had one arm around her waist and a handful of her hair in his fist. He flexed his fingers and pulled away from Rain, rolling off the bed to his feet.

He'd stayed with her all night and he'd wakened once to find her gone. It had scared the crap out of Sam, and he'd run from the room to find Rain standing outside, where Ven's ship had been, staring blankly at the stars. Her bare feet were covered in dust and when Sam had laid a hand on her shoulder and said her name, she'd screamed and jumped away from him, her eyes wild.

Rain has screamed again when she saw him and grabbed her head between her hands, dropping to her knees. He still didn't know what had happened to her, but she'd allowed him to pick her up and carry her back inside. She hadn't woken up again and now she was there, still sleeping.

Sam found himself just studying her silently. The color had come back to her skin, and the dark golden tones looked normal again. She had high cheek bones and full lips. The strange cut of her pants revealed a tattoo on her right hip and he leaned over to see what it was. It was a black raindrop with an emerald green dragon curled up inside it, staring out with one green eye, its face in profile. He could just make out the end of another tattoo that was spread across the back of her waist. The black lines were curved and delicate, but bold and he admired her bared skin a little more before he felt her eyes on him.

"How you feeling?" Sam questioned, sitting back down on the edge of the bed.

Rain pushed upright slowly, her back obviously still sore, but she was going to live. She looked away from Sam and pushed her hair from her face. She used the cloth covered rubber band around her wrist to tie her hair back into a messy bun and shoved a few more loose tendrils back behind her ears.

Sam noticed the look of self hate on her face and grabbed her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. "How are you feeling?" he repeated, really wanting to ask why she hated herself so much, but knowing the question might make her run or withdraw so far inside herself he'd never get her to talk. She'd seemed so strong before, so lethal. Now she looked lost, defeated.

"I'm fine," she stated flatly, grabbing his wrist with iron fingers and pulling away from him. She wasn't stronger than him, but she was stronger than he'd expected and there were red marks on his wrist from her grip.

"You must be hungry. Let's get you something to eat," Sam finally said, rubbing his wrist where'd she'd grabbed it and standing to his feet.

Rain looked away again and curled into the bed. "It doesn't matter. I wonder if he's feeding them."

Sam didn't ask who she was talking about. He knew. Instead he reached over the bed, grabbed her upper arms and forced her off the bed to her feet. 

Feeling frustrated and tender toward Rain all at the same time, he was suddenly surprised when Rain grabbed her head and slumped downward, crying out in pain.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Sam demanded, still holding her arms, keeping her from falling when her legs gave out.

"I don't know!" she cried. Rain screamed again and clutched wildly at her temples.

Sam was in a panic. He didn't understand what was wrong with Rain, why she was acting this way. Her face was twisted in agony and she kept crying out, her hands clutching madly at her head as if to stop whatever pain was causing her reaction. "Rain! You have to tell me what's wrong! Rain, listen to me!" Sam shook Rain hard, trying to gain her attention and get her to talk to him.

Rain seemed to focus on his voice, visibly forcing herself to calm down. "My head," she managed barely through tightly gritted teeth. "Empathic... the voices won't -" she paused for breath, still clenching her eyes shut and clutching her head. "Voices," she continued, "they won't quiet."

Comprehension dawned on Sam and he lifted her against his chest and ran from the room, Rain's whimpers and cries of pain driving him faster and faster. He finally got to an isolation chamber and shifted her weight so he wouldn't have to put her down while he slid his pass key through the lock. The door light clicked and turned green and Sam shoved the card back in his pocket and kicked the door open with the bottom of his boot. It swung open on silent hinges and Sam carried Rain through three more rooms before finally getting to the last one. It had sound proof walls and flexasteel reinforcements.

The moment they entered the room and the door was shut Rain calmed down, going limp against him and the tension flooded from her body.

Scientists that had done studies on people with any type of ESP had found that the combination of bullet proof glass, steel, and the same composites that were used for space travel vessels was capable of drowning out telepathic frequencies. All hospitals had rooms like this for head cases, just in case said patient really was telepathic. It was obvious that Rain was either very tuned in to peoples emotions, or crazy. He prayed for the former.

Ten minutes passed before Rain opened her eyes and looked at Sam. "I don't know what's wrong. It's never been this bad before."

"What's never been this bad before?" he questioned, hoping she'd answer.

"The voices. Before I could always tune them out, block it. Most people block their emotions already, so that helps. Others project their thoughts and feelings like radios, and that hurts, but I can avoid them, or just throw up a thicker block and it drowns it out." She paused to breathe. Rain lifted her eyes to his fully. "I don't know what happened. It's like a floodgate has been opened and I can't close it again. I don't know how to control it."

Now Sam was worried. If Rain couldn't turn off the noise in her head, she'd could go crazy. And she couldn't live in this room the rest of her life. They'd have to figure out a way to build her resistance back up, and find out what did this to her. "Are the voices louder now than before?"

Rain nodded. "Yes, and I'm hearing more. It's like my range is farther now. How do I turn it off, Sam? I'll go mad if I can't get them to stop."

Sam could see the fear in Rain's eyes. No matter how tough she might be, losing her mind still scared the crap out of her. "Don't worry, Rain, we'll think of something."


	4. Revealed

****

4. Revealed

Sam shifted in his seat. "It is getting better, isn't it?"

Rain lifted her eyes to his. "I'm not screaming, am I?"

He'd take that as her way of saying yes. "You know, I don't know anything about you."

Rain shrugged. "You don't want to. And I don't know anything about you either. How old you are. Where you're from. You're last name." She shrugged again, as if nothing like that mattered.

"Easy. Thirty. Earth. Dux." Sam crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back.

"Ducks?" She lifted her brows mockingly. "Like quack?"

Sam shook his head. "Not ducks. Dukes. French? You do know about the French, right?"

"Sure. One of the Earth races. Actual races still are separated there. On Earth, I mean. Unlike colonies and off-Earth settlements, where different races were integrated and mutated according to their surroundings. Not to mention certain levels of different substances resulted in large populations acquiring different abilities. Like a lot of the people from my home planet have ESP of one sort or another, empathic tendencies being the most common." 

"Where _are_ you from?"

"Atlar. And I'm twenty-six, if that's your next question."

"Actually, it was. But I don't know your last name yet," Sam stated, his curiosity obvious, even without her abilities.

"Cloud," Rain joked. It was the answer she gave everybody. The truth of the matter was, she didn't know her last name. She couldn't remember if she'd ever even had one. She thought Kay's might have started with an "r". She could use Clark's, but that would just be stupid.

"Rain Cloud," Sam murmured wistfully. "Has a certain ring to it."

Rain lifted a dark brow. "Sure. Truth? I don't have a last name." She didn't know why she'd told him that and surprise registered on her face momentarily before being wiped out and replaced by her usual blank mask.

Sam didn't press the matter. "Okay, so we've been working on this for four months. And it is helping, right?" Sam asked, changing the subject back to her problem.

"Yeah, I said that, didn't I? The exercises are working. That's why I'm not screaming, remember? I can still hear things, but I can almost get it toned down to normal levels again." Rain forked a bite of the goop she'd been eating into her mouth and forced it down with a gulp. "Have you figured out what caused the problem? So it doesn't happen again?"

"I don't know. It didn't happen until after you got shot though, right?" Sam asked, leaning forward now. Rain studied his strange golden eyes. They weren't the same sort of gold as Brand's. Not wolf-like. Just unusual. They intrigued her.

"Yeah. So what happened between the time I got shot and that first attack that night?" Rain was surprised they hadn't analyzed this earlier and figured it was because Sam had been trying to keep her sane, and she'd been trying to build up her resistance again.

"Well, I carried you in and ran you to the mend chambers."

Something clicked in Rain's mind. "Right, the mend chambers. Can the chambers repair any sort of head injuries? Tinker with the brain?"

Sam's eyes widened. "Yeah, actually, they can. Concussions, small brain hemorrhages. Shit, I hadn't even thought of that. That's why we don't use them on people with any sort of psychic powers. It can screw around with the frontal lobe and mess things up. _That_ must be what happened!"

"Maybe that explains my aversion to them. Subconsciously I knew, or maybe even remembered, that it could screw me up in the head more than I already am. Damn, I probably heard that somewhere. If only you'd known I was empathic before you threw me in that thing." Rain felt better knowing what the problem had been, now knowing not to do it again.

Rain could feel that Sam wasn't sure what to say. The emotions rolling off of him now suggested he would have risked it anyway, just to make sure she would live.

They'd started building up her resistance by bringing first one person to her at a time, then two, three, and so on. She was almost completely able to move in groups again without having an episode. Although, she often got migraine headaches from the stress of blocking out so many loud voices. It was easy for her to break through walls of resistance now, if she chose to do so. 

"I don't know, though. This could be a plus for me. I couldn't read minds before, just pick up emotions. I used my abilities to heighten my senses as well. I could use what other people around me were seeing, hearing, and smelling to amplify my senses of sight, hearing, and smell." She paused and took a few more bites before grabbing a bag of brown sugar and throwing in a few more clumps and stirring it in. "I think I can read minds now. Actual thought. I don't know if I'd like to rape someone's mind though. Especially if I found it was half as bad as my own." She shook her head. "No, until I can control this new thing, I'll just stay to myself."

"We should practice that. You could mind speak, couldn't you?" Sam queried.

"Yes, with some people. They usually had to have some sort of telepathic abilities also, though."

"Try with me, I'm pretty sure I don't have any," Sam said.

"Okay, but if this hurts, tell me to stop."

__

Can you hear me? Rain questioned silently.

__

Whoa. This is weird. Can you hear me? Sam answered.

Rain nodded and smiled. _Does this hurt?_

__

No. It... tingles, though, in a weird sort of way. Almost feels like my brain inches. Could you scratch it? Sam teased.

Rain laughed out loud and mentally. _I don't think so._

Sam shrugged. _Too bad_, he answered, then scratched his head.

Rain laughed again. "Okay, that was easy, because I've done it before. Now, being able to extract actual information. Not just randomly, either. But having a specific goal and looking for that one thing. But more than that, finding it immediately instead of crawling through a well of information." Another gooey bite. "If I could do that, it would be helpful."

"Want to test it?" Sam asked.

"Okay. But I don't know what I'm doing, and I might hurt you," she warned.

"I trust you."

Rain blinked and leaned away from Sam. No one had ever said that to her. "Really?"

"Yeah, Rain. Really. Go for it." 

She shook her head. "Okay. What should I look for?"

"The town I was born in."

Sam felt a sudden tingling in his head, but it wasn't painful, and he probably wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't known what Rain was going to do.

She cocked her head. "Yakima, Washington, Earth." She grinned. "That was easy. You were thinking about it. Did it hurt?"

Sam shook his head. "No."

"I'm going to try something else. Tell me if it hurts." Rain thought a minute then delved back into Sam's psyche. When she resurfaced she looked at him strangely. "You knew I was a killer the first time you saw me." She paused and her face hardened. "You knew who I was. You're a Ranger."


	5. Escape

****

5. Escape 

**__**

Two Years Earlier

Sam Kincaid draped his arm across the back of the bench and leaned back, eyeing his companion. "She's a Ranger," he argued.

Steve Johnston didn't care. "Who cares? The Company doesn't tolerate problems, and that's what she is. Take care of it."

"What can one woman do?" Sam continued. He didn't like this. She was a Ranger and she hadn't done anything. Yet. At least that's what Johnston kept telling him.

"Like I said. Who cares? She's raising problems that could become serious. This woman is of a mind to start a revolt. We've seen her kind before." Johnston shook his head slowly. "Just do as your ordered, Kincaid. Problems aren't tolerated, so you don't want to become one."

With that parting shot, Johnston took off.

Sam turned and looked out over the workers. A dark haired woman stood among them. "Rain," he whispered to the woman, "you've got problems."

------

**__**

One Year Later

Rain couldn't take it any more. The beatings were too familiar. The pain too raw, even after all these years. Watching these people battle with that sort of torture day after day had finally taken its toll. Rain was getting the hell out of there.

There was no way The Company would just let her go. She knew they'd sent someone after her. He just never got close enough for her to find out who he was. He seemed reluctant to finish his job. He'd been on her tail for a year now, making sure she didn't do anything. He was out of range now, though, she sensed. Now was the time to leave.

Arming herself, Rain took off across the compound. Rangers prowled quietly about the grounds, making sure no one went AWOL, and that no workers tried to get into the compound and attack the Rangers sleeping there.

Rain flattened herself against one building as a light swept the grounds and waited for it to pass. The second it was away, she rushed to the next building. Suddenly, a young woman rounded the corner, stumbling over Rain. With reflexive speed, Rain drew her blade and slit the woman ear to ear. The body dropped with a dull thud to the ground.

Another light. Rush across, hide and flatten. Two more guards. Damn, she thought, that's three. Light, rush, hide. Guard. Four, Rain told herself as yet another Ranger hit the dust.

Twenty minutes and six guards later, Rain finally made it to the head office of the compound. Her CO, Captain Tom Foully, would still be inside. She could see the light coming from the windows and the edges of the door. The light swept the door, then Rain rushed up the ramp and shoved it open.

Foully stood to his feet indignantly. "Rain, what's the meaning of this? Get the hell outta here!" he ordered, pointing one long finger at the door.

Rain pulled her teeth back in a snarl. "I've had enough. Enough of this place. Enough of The Company. Enough of watching these beatings. Enough of you." Contempt came off her in waves and with it came all the images of the past that lay locked in her head. She conjured up every terrifying image she could and flooded Foully's mind with it.

Fear swept across his features and he grasped his head, backing away from her. The backs of his knees hit his chair and he fell into it. Then Rain was on him.

She leapt onto the desk that stood between them, then jumped down to stand in front of him, blade in hand. Rain pressed him back into the padded chair with a hand on his chest, then she shoved her blade into his gut, slicing left to right. The Company issue blade was sharp and slid easily through the layers of muscle and skin.

Foully screamed, but Rain silenced him by sliding the hand on his chest to his throat and choking off his air supply. She began to rip his stomach wide. He'd live, she knew, until he bled to death or shock got the better of him. His face was deathly white as it was, his screams choked off. Foully grew weak quickly and couldn't even move by the time Rain was done gutting him.

Rain stared down at him, leaning back against the desk and crossing her arms across her breasts, knife cleaned on Foully's pants before being sheathed at her calf, where it strapped to her boot.

The foot long blade had done its work, she thought calmly. Foully's mouth was open in a silent scream and with fierce brutality, Rain pushed her hands into the mass of bleeding flesh that was his stomach and grabbed his intestines. A quick yank had them spilled across his lap and he gurgled, blood spilling from his lips.

With the sort of mindless, cold and calculating indifference of a psychopathic killer, Rain wrapped the innards around Foully's shaking form and his chair, effectively tying him to it.

He was still gurgling and Rain slapped him across the face, leaving a bloodied hand print on his cheek. His head snapped to the side then his chin dropped to his chest.

"You disgust me," Rain hissed fiercely, grabbing his jaw in her hand and forcing his head up so his glazed eyes locked with her emerald ones.

A pad of paper laid on Foully's desk and Rain dropped his head back to his chest with contempt. She wiped her hands on her pants and snatched up a pen.

"Sick Fucks" she scrawled in sharp, neat letters across the yellow lined paper. She ripped off the section she'd written the note on and grabbed a black stapler.

Turning, Rain eyed Foully critically. "You're bleeding," she stated coldly, pulling a white kerchief from her pocket. She threw it at him. "Clean yourself up."

Then, with a sneer plastered on her lips, Rain held the note up to Foully's forehead, opened the stapler wide, and pumped a staple into his forehead. The note stuck and she left him like that; tied to his chair with his intestines and a note stapled to his forehead.

------

**__**

Two Days Later

"I told you to take care of her!" Johnston bellowed.

Sam kept his face controlled. He couldn't really blame Rain for what she'd done. Foully had a reputation for beating the workers. And the female Rangers that worked at the site. Enough to make anyone snap. Sam was only surprised someone hadn't taken the man out earlier. "She seems capable enough," he commented, referring to her brutal methods. "How do you know I even could have taken her out?"

Johnston turned frustrated features to Sam. "I don't. But you should have at least _attempted_ to do your job and follow orders," he spat.

Sam shrugged. "What's done, is done. I didn't want this assignment in the first place. I've been trying to get out of here for a year. I want out of The Company. This isn't even what I was trained for, for God's sake." Sam shoved an impatient hand through his coppery hair. "I'm a med tech, Johnston, not an assassin. I'm supposed to be saving lives, not taking them."

"It doesn't matter what you want or what you're supposed to be. You were given a direct order and you disobeyed it. You'll be lucky if you're not locked in Ursa Luna for the rest of your life," Johnston stated vehemently.

Another shrug from Sam. "Listen, just get me out of here. Place me on some out of the way mining colony and I'll work in a hospital there. You'll never have to hear from me again."

Johnston dropped into his seat, finally stopping his frantic pacing. "Sam, because I've known you since you joined The Company, I'll see what I can do. I might be able get you an assignment somewhere like that. But you can't get out of The Company just because you want to."

Feeling better now that Johnston had quit walking back and forth across the floor, Sam relaxed a little. "That would be great. But could you maybe just shoot me in the leg and I could be done with this mess forever?"

------

**__**

The Present

Rain stared at Sam incredulously. "You're a Ranger," she mumbled again. And with that, she leapt from her chair and ran for the door.

Sam jumped after her. "Rain! Wait! It's not what you think!" Sam raced after her, but Rain had been keeping in better shape than Sam, and she outdistanced him easily.

Sam's pleas fell vainly on Rain's ears as she sped blindly down the corridor, slamming into a nurse as she went and sending them both sprawling to the floor. She was up in an instant, the tears blurring her surroundings and running unheeded down her cheeks.


	6. The Truth

****

6. The Truth

**__**

Seven Months Earlier

"This isn't what I had in mind," Sam murmured to himself as another bullet bounced off the rock wall, spraying him with sharp fragments of stone. He turned his face away and clenched his eyes shut. Then, with a growl, he leaned around the wall and pulled off four shots.

Sam knew he was going to have to run out if he was going to get out at all. There were two men out there, and they didn't like what was going on. They'd arrived at Sam's post two days earlier with a wounded buddy.

Not knowing who they were, Sam had said to bring the wounded guy to the hospital to get patched up. When he took blood to see if the guy would have any reactions to treatment, he found out that the guy was wanted and dangerous.

So, he'd called in the big guns to have the guy hauled off, along with his buddies. Well, somehow his friends had found out what Sam was getting ready to do, and when Sam went on one of his daily walks, this is what he got. Cornered in some dusty canyon, being shot at.

Sam ducked back behind the wall and leaned against it, his head back and eyes closed. He took a few deep breathes and waited for more bullets to bounce off the wall, putting in a fresh clip. He didn't have to wait long. The echoing rings resounded off the stone walls and then Sam launched himself around the wall. 

Bullets started bouncing off the walls all around him and he spotted the first guy. With a roar he pulled off three shots and they thudded into the man's chest. Blood oozed out as he fell back against the rock he was behind.

Adrenaline pumped through Sam and he barely noticed when a round of buckshot exploded into his leg. He let out a slight grunt, wincing, but kept advancing on his enemy.

The man, seeing that the shot to the leg hadn't even slowed Sam down, panicked and jumped up from his hiding spot to run. Sam leveled his revolver and squeezed off two shots. The first one hit the man in the back of the left shoulder, and the second exploded into his skull. Sam watched dully as blood and flesh burst from the front of the man's face and he collapsed to lay twitching in the dust.

A few minutes later found Sam sitting on a rock, his weapon on the ground, clasping his thigh mutely. He stared at the blood oozing between his fingers and felt the pain radiating through his leg and into his abdomen and chest. It hurt like hell. He'd never been shot with a shotgun before, and he was quickly realizing he didn't like it one bit.

His radio had gotten crunched when he'd dropped to the ground. The first bullets had awakened in him his old instincts to duck and cover, and when he had he'd smashed the hip with the radio into a rock. Little plastic fragments had been all that was left, so he'd pulled it off and tossed it at the men. Sam was going to have to walk the three miles back to town and there weren't any trees around to have dropped branches that he could use as a cane.

With a howl of pain, Sam threw himself to his feet and began to hobble back to town. His leg was totaled, and walking on it was making it worse, but he had to go or bleed to death. He stopped by one of the men's bodies and pulled off the man's belt to use as a tourniquet. The blood flow slowed enough that Sam didn't think he'd pass out for a while and he continued along the path.

------

"Sam Kincaid, identity number 10311987-SLB, you are hereby discharged from your services due to serious injury." The stern man in front of Sam relaxed, now that his duty was done. He smiled at Sam. "You're free to go, son. We'll send you anywhere you want to go."

Sam leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head. "There's a little place by Rhea. New Nantes. It's a good sized little planet. I'd like to go there and I can work in a hospital. Doesn't matter where, really."

The man smiled. "Will do, kiddo. You leave at 1100 hours tomorrow morning. Congratulations on your discharge." They saluted each other, then Sam was dismissed from the office.

He whistled quietly to himself as he hobbled down the corridor, supporting most of his weight on the metal cane in his hand. The buckshot had torn up a lot of ligaments, damaged muscle, and fractured bone. If the weather changed at all, the wound throbbed painfully.

__

Oh, well, Sam told himself, stepping into his compartment. _I'm free now, and I can finally get out of this place._

The first thing he was going to do was change his name. He'd been using his father's last name, but now he'd switch to his mother's. Dux. He stood in front of the tiny mirror in his equally tiny bathroom. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Samuel Dux," he stated to his pale, drawn reflection in the mirror. He twisted his lips sardonically. "Welcome back, indeed."

------

**__**

Present

Rain was alone. Again. She sat huddled on the roof of the hospital, perfectly quiet and still. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders in a black waterfall of silken strands and she shoved a curling lock away from her eyes impatiently. She'd really started to like Sam. The way he cared for her, talked to her, like she was someone important and special. Someone worth something.

She shook her head angrily. "No," she growled painfully. "No one wants anything to do with a monster like you. Serves you right to start falling for a Ranger, of all things."

Her senses exploded in warning and Rain jerked her head upwards. She couldn't hear or see anything, but someone was getting close to her. Pain started to build in her temples and she clutched at them, forcing a wall between her consciousness and the warning ringing in her head. The pain dissipated and she removed her hands from her head and concentrated on the feeling.

It wasn't Sam. It was someone else. She could feel that. Rain dug deeper into the person and reached for a key to who they were. It was hard. Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead and upper lip. She felt droplets trickle down her spine and shivered slightly as a stiff wind rose up and washed over her flesh.

But then it was too late. The person was too far away now. Beyond even her reach.

Then another warning. And this time it was Sam, and he was getting closer. She watched the door leading back down to the hospital, knowing she could escape, but wondering why she didn't run. 

------

Four minutes later, Sam was standing framed in the doorway, watching her.

He shoved a coppery shock of hair away from his eyes impatiently and crunched over the gravel on the roof towards her crouched form.

Rain looked up at him silently, her face a carefully blank mask. Sam knew she was feeling betrayed. She stared up at him and locked her arms tightly around her drawn up knees.

Sam hunkered down in front of her, knowing that if he was going to regain her hard won trust, he was going to have to tell her everything. From when he first saw her to how he got reassigned to New Nantes. "I'm going to tell you a story," he said, quietly. And then he started from the beginning.


	7. A Good Beginning

****

7. A Good Beginning

Rain stretched in bed. She'd been with Sam for six months now, and her ESP wasn't a problem anymore. She had amazing abilities with it, and was able to do more than she'd ever imagined.

Sun was streaming through her window and she swung her legs over the edge of her bed and planted her feet on the floor. Her hair hung in wild curls all around her face and she shoved it away from her eyes before padding to her clothes on the floor.

Black pants, black shirt. Her style hadn't changed in all the past months, she thought wryly, tugging on her pants and shirt. Rain headed for the cafeteria barefoot. The nurses and helpers avoided her, giving her a wide berth when she passed them.

An old woman smiled at her and Rain flashed her a warm grin. The woman's name was Trina, and she'd taken to Rain immediately, and Rain to her. The unlikely pair spent a lot of time together. Trina was full of history and Rain listened like child being told a story, absorbing the past and stories like a sponge.

She now knew that New Nantes was founded by a native of a city in France, and that's where the name came from, Nantes being that city. That had been a hundred years earlier, and now there were many cities around the planet, most densely populated.

Sam and Rain spent a lot of time together as well, but they didn't talk so much. When Rain had found out that Sam had been a Ranger she'd felt betrayed. Sam had told her the story of how he'd first seen her and how he'd ended up on New Nantes. Understanding hadn't come easily, but Sam had been persistent, not allowing Rain to walk away from him so easily.

When Rain entered the cafeteria Sam was already seated at their usual table, eating a plate of scrambled eggs and ham with toast and coffee. Another place contained three pancakes, two donuts, sausage, and butter and syrup were nearby.

Rain wasn't surprised. This was Sam's usual meal. Big man, eat big, is what he always said when she asked about the large quantities of food. Rain wondered what Sam would so if he couldn't get food for a few days. She asked him.

Sam looked up at her from a mouthful of ham. "Starve and die a slow and painful death," he managed around the ham. 

Rain supposed he was right, being as large as he was. The same size as Riddick, roughly, she thought, and grinned at him. Then she went to get her own food. Sausage, eggs, toast and that was enough for her. She poured a mug of coffee and sat across from Sam. She felt him slide his leg over to hers and rub it sensuously. She could feel that he wanted her, but they hadn't gotten together just yet. _Soon, _she told him silently, and he grinned at her, taking another bite of ham while watching her, his legs rubbing against hers.

The only reason Rain was waiting was because she wasn't sure she could control her powers if there was a sensory overload, which was possible with sex. She took a bite of her eggs and another of her toast before washing it town with a sip of coffee. The hot liquid seeped into her throat and stomach and she closed her eyes to enjoy it.

Sam watched Rain eat as he ate himself. She was beautiful. Over the last few months she'd told him about her past, so he knew who she was, and what she'd been. But the change was obvious. Rain had opened herself to him and now she didn't jump every time he got close to her.

When breakfast was over, Sam walked with Rain to the outside of the hospital, stopping at her room to pick up her boots. They went for a walk everyday, usually ending up with Rain pressed against the ground under Sam, getting kissed senseless, but she wasn't complaining.

A half mile into the walk, Sam turned to Rain. "How long you planning on staying here?" he asked. 

Rain looked at him sharply, unsure of his meaning. She could find out if she wanted to, but she wouldn't invade his privacy that way without his permission. "Uh, I don't know," she murmured, wondering if that was a hint. Did he want her to leave? "I'll just take Ven's ship when I leave, I guess."

Sam reached behind his head and rubbed his neck. His hair was getting longer and hung just below his collar. He smoothed it down again before looking at her. Her face was impassive, fixed in a cool mask. It was a look he hadn't seen in almost three months. 

"I don't want you to think-"

"I'll just be staying-"

They both started talking at the same time. Rain closed her mouth abruptly and pushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. "What do you want from me? Do you want me to leave? 'Cause that's not a problem, I was gonna head out anyways." She did her best to sound nonchalant.

Sam was speechless. She was leaving. He felt like the ground had fallen out from under him and he was standing on nothing but air. His stomach chased after the missing ground and his heart thudded painfully, threatening to burst. _Or crack_, he thought, _or break_. Sam shoved is hands through his hair, unsure of what to say. He couldn't let her know this was killing him, to hear her say she was leaving. That she'd been planning on leaving. She even had the ship to take off in. "Uh, no, you don't _have_ to leave, but if you have it all planned out..." he trailed off, moving his hand in a "what can I do" sort of gesture.

Rain felt her heart split and didn't know what to do about it. She kept her face a pleasant, but stony mask and nodded. "Um, yeah. I was actually thinking about taking off early next week." Rain was confused but hiding it. What had happened between breakfast and now? Everything had been going so great, but it looked like Sam was sick of the company of a monster.

------

Rain tossed her bag into the ship. It was hard, both ways. First, she was leaving Sam, the best thing to ever happen to her. Second, this was _Ven's_ ship, not hers. Ven and Brand... her thoughts strayed in their direction and she prayed they'd made it out of that mess all right, and that they'd found their sister.

She wondered where Riddick had gone after Rhea, and if he'd found what he was looking for. So many questions, and now, so much pain. Rain clenched her jaw and her eyes, forcing back tears before heading back into the hospital. Sam was sitting at a table in the cafeteria, staring blandly into a mug of black coffee.

Rain sat across from him quietly, tempted to dig into his head, but containing herself. Sam looked up at her and smiled dismally. For a guy that had seemed like he wanted to get rid of her, he was sure acting depressed. Rain tried to put on a brave, devil-may-care grin and felt like her face would crack, just like her heart. Her smile faltered and tears threatened to push up past her defenses. 

"So, I guess you're all packed up," Sam whispered, swishing the cooling coffee around in his mug.

Rain nodded and it seemed like Sam flinched. His coppery hair was hanging in his eyes, but for once he didn't bother to push it away. It hung over his collar and past his ears, and his golden eyes were dark. The stubble on his jaw was thick and dark, like he hadn't bothered to shave since that fated day a week ago. Rain's fingers itched to reach across the table and caress his rough cheek, but even though the distance was mere inches it seemed like a canyon separated them. It seemed Rain could hear a painful cracking as another piece of her heart fell apart.

She took a deep breath and let it out in a small gasp, before pushing upright. She stepped around the table, cupped Sam's cheeks in her hands and placed a kiss on his soft hair. Then she turned on her heal and strode out of the cafeteria and out of his life.

------

Sam watched her receding back and laid his head on his crossed forearms when she disappeared around the corner. The urge to break down and cry was overwhelming and strange, because Sam hadn't cried since he was a little boy. He drew in a choked sob then pushed away from the table, still feeling Rain's soft lips on his hair. They hadn't hardly talked at all in the past week, and he wondered what had gone wrong.

He strode down the hallway towards Rain's room and passed her friend, Trina, as he went.

"Sam! Get in here!" Sam jerked to a halt and looked through the open doorway to the little old woman watching the HV set. Her weathered face was set in stern lines and she clutched her cane like a weapon.

Sam entered the room slowly, wary despite his usually easygoing relationship with the elderly woman. "What's the matter, Trina?"

Trina smacked her cane down hard on the tiled floor, causing Sam to jump slightly. "Don't 'What's the matter' me, young man. What did you do to Rain?" she demanded. Her rheumy old eyes glared at him angrily and he sucked in a startled breath.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about, ma'am. Rain was sick, and now she's better. She felt it was time to leave." Sam was trying to convince himself as much as Trina... maybe even more so.

Another angry smack. "Don't give me that bull shit." Sam's eyes went wide at the vehement curse word coming from the usually friendly woman. He'd never heard her swear in the two years she'd been living in the elderly ward of the hospital. "That girl came in here crying her eyes out last week, weeping about how you wanted her to leave and she didn't know what to do. She didn't even come in here before she left."

Sam was dumbstruck. He rocked back on his heals and staggered backwards to lean weakly against the wall. "She did? I mean, she was? Crying, I mean?"

"Of course, you dolt. Now go after her!" Trina pointed the end of her cane at the door.

Sam flashed her a lopsided grin and rushed out the door, calling out a relieved thank you as he went racing down the hall. Trina smiled to herself and turned back to the HV.

Sam tore out of the building, hope clawing at his insides. There might still be a chance.

------

Rain walked slowly towards Ven's ship and finally got onboard. She was just getting ready to hit the button to close the hatch when she heard her name. She must have forgotten something, she told herself, because why else would Sam come after her?

"Rain!" Sam called. Rain was framed in the hatch door, but she didn't turn around to look at him.

It was too late, Rain thought. She couldn't go back and beg Sam to keep her. To let her stay with him. Tears built up in her eyes and she couldn't contain them any longer. They spilled down her cheeks unchecked so she kept her back to him. She heard his heavy steps on the ramp and then felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Rain," he murmured. Still, she didn't turn to him. "Rain," he whispered, leaning forward so his mouth was near her ear. "Look at me, Rain. Please look at me," he pleaded.

A tiny shudder racked her body and he heard her choked sob. Worried now, he clasped her shoulders and spun her around to face him. The tears running down her cheeks brought him short and he froze, staring into her face. Rain's head was tilted downwards and her long hair fell in front of her face. Sam reached down and pushed it behind her ears, then cupped her chin in his hand so she was forced to look up at him.

"Rain, don't go."

Her eyes snapped to his, shocked green melding with welcoming gold. "What?" she whispered shallowly.

"Please, Rain, don't leave me here. Don't go. Stay here with me," he begged.

"You want me to stay?" she asked incredulously.

Sam nodded mutely, tears well up in his own eyes. He didn't bother to wipe them away and a single tear escaped his eyes and rolled down each lean cheek to get absorbed in his stubble. "Please," he whispered, his voice choked with suppressed emotion.

Rain nodded, hope and warmth flooding her. "Yes, I'll stay. Yes! YES!" And she launched herself at him, tangling her arms around his neck and he pulled her close, laughing, pressing kisses to her hair, her nose and cheeks, then finally her mouth.

Sam captured Rain's mouth with his and tangled his hands in her riotous hair. She threw herself into the kiss, opening her mouth under his lips and moving her tongue against his. He groaned against her mouth and she moaned back, threading her fingers in his hair, loving the smooth texture.

And they stayed locked together like that for a long time, holding one another. It was the happiest day of both their lives.


End file.
